To70 invests in future of UK aviation

In early October I joined To70 to setup their UK office and build upon the long history of support already in the UK. In this blog I reflect on the first 6 weeks of the journey and in particular introduce how I now understand the culture of To70 and why we have a bright future in the progression of aviation in the UK. 

Let me tell you a little about To70 to start with. The company was setup in 2000 in the Netherlands to support Dutch airports manage operational challenges through data driven analysis. Starting with environmental assessments, it extended quickly to operational performance analysis assessing efficiency of airline and airport operations and of course to the safety of those operations. Now celebrating our 20th anniversary, we have 15 offices across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas, servicing the aviation industry with excellence with a team of over 100 operational and analytical experts. 

The To70 formula for the last 20 years has been pretty simple. Our reputation for excellence is based on our in-depth understanding of aviation operations which gives us important insight into the challenges our clients face. In turn, this helps us create strong relationships with our clients to the extent where they value our perspectives and they enjoy discussions with us on the benefits and drawbacks of particular solutions. What I observe most importantly when talking with our team is that strategic thinking and innovation is a natural part of our culture and mindset. This is hard to come by.

Turning to the UK, To70 already has a long standing pedigree supporting the aviation industry and is already recognised by the UK CAA, major and regional airports, the primary ANS providers NATS and ANS, the general aviation community, as well as the major engineering firms. Other stakeholders we are proud to support are the public community groups, especially those near our airports.

Starting the UK office is a sign of our continued commitment; amplified in the context of the current crisis impacting our society, not just aviation. The UK aviation industry has arguably been one of the hardest hit compared to other European countries as a result of COVID-19. It will take significant investment and resilience to see the industry return to the heights of 2019. Our reason for providing a UK focus is that we want to invest energy now in supporting the industry “build back better” (to reuse a commonly used phrase). Walking alongside our existing clients, and our future ones, will ensure we understand the pain points that they are feeling every day; and as a result we can ensure that any advice and support we provide is as targeted as possible. 

My short term objectives for the UK are based on the following inter-connected themes:

1. Sustainable and Green; new operational and technology innovation will drive the industry approach to a sustainable future and reducing CO2 emissions. Supporting operational decision-making through open data-sharing between partners is an enabler. Assessing the needs of our infrastructure to support new electric vehicles, on the ground and in the air, is another key area. 
2. Airspace Change Management; airspace change remains a key enabler for growth in the UK. We must balance the needs of all airspace users and also consider the impact of our airspace change decisions on our communities.
3. Airport Capacity: Expansion of the airports remains a long-term priority to deliver the future growth potential. The design of the infrastructure to match the levels of expansion requires specific attention to make best use of the investment. 
4. Stakeholder Collaboration; promoting collaborative decision making (CDM) principles at airport and network level to aid stakeholder data sharing to increase efficiency of operations. Extending the principles of CDM to smaller regional airports where there are potential benefits to network performance.
5. Enabling new airspace users; the societal benefits of new air vehicles are significant as they change the way we consider product transport and passenger mobility. As the industry grows we must the airspace environment is designed to meet their needs as well as manage the negative impacts of noise, risk of injury and privacy. 

I am at the start of the journey. I am excited to follow the turns of the long path ahead and to see what is not only around the corner but what the final destination holds for our industry. Please get in touch if you would like to continue the discussion, or check out our capabilities at www.to70.com